Help Center

How Rainbow Treecare Grew a B2B Business with Magento

A B2B solution to go national.

Established in 1976, Rainbow Treecare delivers breakthrough tree and plant healthcare solutions across America. The company has 200 employees, and operates a huge fleet of trucks and Arborists based in the ‘Twin Cities,’ Minneapolis–Saint Paul. They believe that not every ailing tree in the urban forest should be cut down: with the right combination of science and treatment, many trees can be saved. It is Rainbow Treecare's goal to improve the science and predictability of tree healthcare through research, innovation, and consultation services for experts. In their Scientific Advancements division, Rainbow Treecare has developed a range of healthcare products and equipment for tree care professionals, landscapers, utilities, and government agencies. They were looking to grow their business with an enhanced online presence.

Rainbow Treecare’s existing web presence was non-transactional. It focused on providing information and education on caring for trees and diagnosing issues for its customers, who placed orders by phone. With changing customer demographics, Rainbow Treecare knew it was time to augment their local sales reps with online ordering. They just needed to ensure customers recieved the same knowledgeable experience, and could correctly identify the right products and equipment to solve problems. Customers need to know when to use certain fungicides and repellents, and which sprayers and excavators are the best fit. Additionally, certain chemicals are regulated, adding complexity to the ordering and shipping process. Rainbow Treecare needed a serious eCommerce platform. They chose Magento Commerce 2.2.

We have tried to develop our own eCommerce solution with the help of local partners, but they all seemed to crumble under their own weight. We shelved several attempts before finding Magento.

Andy Harvala

Manager of IT Systems Infrastructure, Rainbow Treecare

A revolutionized ordering process.

Together with the Magento Solution Partner, Wagento Creative, Rainbow Treecare focused on integrating Great Plains and Microsoft Dynamics CRM into their Magento implementation. The goal was to extend the backend API to enable communication between both systems, so that all customer, product, and order information in Great Plains could be shared with Magento. It also connected Magento with existing credit and payment processing capabilities, so customers could easily place online orders for the first time.

With the infrastructure in place, the team designed a new ordering flow that allows sales reps and customers to place orders in the field using a tablet or smartphone. The custom-designed Quick Order form allows sales reps and customers to add a list of items to the cart in just one click. The ordering and shipping rules automatically take into account state-specific restrictions on items like chemicals, based on rules pre-defined within Magento. It also implemented specific group/tier pricing and individual pricing per customer. The new ordering flow delivers a great B2B experience without disrupting the service model: Business customers can order online and still call in when needed, and consumers can buy direct. The whole process felt completely natural.

New site. New customers.

Once launched, the new B2B site opened up new markets to Rainbow Treecare. With their stronger online presence and proactive email marketing, new customers are finding Rainbow Treecare, and are buying more of their proprietary products. Their B2B customers are using the new website to order outside of normal business hours–at night and on weekends–when they aren’t serving their own customers.

The Early Order Program, where customers place orders for the busy Spring season, is helping to drive existing customers to the site to update their customer information and place their orders. And it's also encouraging new customers to buy. While some trees might be dormant this winter, thanks to Magento, Rainbow Treecare will be growing.

We see this as a long-term solution that will enhance the customer experience with a streamlined ordering process. It will not replace our current sales force, rather it will allow them to focus on building relationships with our customers and providing more training and education.